Inspiration

The family of three, though soon to be four.

Sort of reminiscent of this shot, no? Can you believe how old Naomi looks? It has been over a year since her first birthday pics and SO much has happened. Abigail and Naomi continue to be great friends. And her mama, Kelly, continues to be an inspiration to me. She was at Wally's birth, finishing my early labor baking projects for me (because early labor quickly gave way to active labor), and making me laugh when I finished each contraction. I'm so glad she was there! That's why I'm so excited for her to have her second baby in early December. And I get to photograph the birth!

Kelly, her husband, Lance, Naomi and I met at Discovery Park for some pregnancy photos. Kelly didn't have any photos from her first pregnancy and wanted to make sure that this one was well documented. I, of course, am thrilled to help out. Here are a few from our cool (but not rainy!), fall session.

Naomi coming for me.

I love the rings and the bellybutton.

Lance has the craziest laugh. He cracks me up.

Love the wind in her hair.

See how perfectly round her belly is?

Sort of an ominous sky, but a peaceful mama.

Back in Edmonds we took a few urban-ish shots. I can't get enough of this perspective. I told that to Kelly while taking this shot and she said, "Like the midwife's perspective?"

Stripes!

And my favorite family shot of the day.
Kelly, I was so nervous about doing your pregnancy photos because it's YOU and I want you to have the best of everything. Your friendship means the world to me and I am so, so blessed to have you in my life. Now we just have to wait for you to give birth so we can see if your baby will be Wally's best friend or his future wife!

Mama-to-be-again Dawne

One of my hopes for every pregnant woman is that she has photos of herself and her belly to look back on. We forget so quickly what it felt like to carry our babies inside of us, how magical it is to feel the baby move, and how strange and wonderful those big bellies are. When my friend Dawne told me that she actually liked her pregnant form better this time around (she has a two-year-old son, Sawyer, who was born the same day as Abigail), I insisted on doing a few belly pics. I'm so glad I did because I've got some new favorites!

I love the light and Dawne's tender expression here.
A classic close-up.

Sawyer and Mama. Aren't his eyes great?

Beautiful eyes and cheek bones, with a hint of belly in the background.

Dawne, Tony, and Sawyer. The family of three, soon to be four.

And the much-desired, though not often captured, sibling kissing the belly/baby shot. I love it!

Dawne, I hope some of these will help you to remember how beautiful you are and how anticipated this little baby is. I can't wait to meet Sawyer's, baby brother or sister. I guess it won't be long now! Enjoy!

Waiting for baby

Saundra, Bill, and 20-month-old Sienna are waiting to meet the fourth member of the family in early August. We got together on Thursday for some belly/family photos in their home (which they are remodeling!) and at Alki beach. Here are a few from our session:


Sienna perks right up when there's a camera around.

Hugging Mama's belly -- with a little help from Dad.
Saundra's smile is infectious and HUGE!
At Alki before sundown.
I love swinging toddlers!
I like the hint of bellybutton in this shot.
A little more of my sun-flare addiction.
And finally, my favorite two shots of Saundra. There's something about an expecting mother and water -- they seem to go together perfectly.
Gorgeous!
Saundra, I wish you all the best with your upcoming birth. You are absolutely stunning as a pregnant woman and a mother. Enjoy these last few weeks!

Sun-flare, anyone?

After a long and difficult journey, Lisa and David are expecting their son in early August. Lisa told me that they've been taking pictures of her belly throughout her pregnancy, so what they really need is pictures of them as a couple. As expectant parents. As a family ready to welcome its newest member. I'm so thrilled to have had the opportunity to meet such a loving twosome, and now I'm even more excited to meet their little boy when he arrives in August!

We started our session at their home in Redmond. I don't think I've seen a baby's room more complete! Every detail was in place and it was GORGEOUS. Here's just one shot from the indoor part of our session, but I think it speaks volumes.

As sunset approached, we headed to Marymoor Park to catch some beautiful evening light. Yes, I went a little sun-flare happy, but oh! how fun!
You could say all kinds of things about this shot as a metaphor for two people coming together and the power of their connection. I just really, really like it.

Such an adorable little belly! Lisa is teeny tiny to begin with and her baby is LOW, so it was sometimes a challenge to show her belly off the way it deserves to be shown. I think we got it here.


Ahhh!

I kept commenting on Lisa's beautiful eyes during our shoot, but as I was editing photos, David's jumped out at me, too. Lucky baby no matter whose eyes he gets!

A new all-time favorite.

And another!
Lisa and David, thank you for a wonderful evening. I guess I should have realized how late it was when the sun actually went down, but I got so excited with everything we did. I hope you enjoy your sneak peak, and I look forward to seeing you with your baby boy in August!

Craving Color

Shelley and Brian met me over in Poulsbo on Saturday for some belly photos. I love shooting in Poulsbo, a little Norwegian town on the water that is FILLED with color. Shelley told me that she used to dress pretty monochromatically and with a lot of black, but since she's been pregnant she wants color, color, color! I love that pregnancy brings out this creative force in women. Maybe it's just in crazy dreams, or maybe we take up a new hobby, or maybe we embrace a new palette designed to draw attention, but pregnant women experience a surge of creativity. I love it! Anyway, here are some photos from our color-filled session.


We started out at Brian's parents house - a veritable park -- for some more nature-y shots.

I love these peonies!

Shelley and Brian have been together a LONG time, but they've still got great chemistry.

I've been wanting to use this umbrella (or is it a parasol?) for a while.

Back behind the house is a greenbelt where the neighbor kids play football. It was covered with yellow bushes. I guess they are weeds, but I love them!
And now we're in old-town Poulsbo.

A fun one that we can all appreciate.

One of my favorites.

Color, anyone?

Toward the end of the session Shelley wondered if perhaps Brian was feeling a little neglected. So we gave him his own (almost) shot!

And finally another shot of Shelley and her gorgeous eyes. She has got that soulful stare DOWN!

Shelley and Brian, I had so much fun in Poulsbo with you! Thanks for a great evening. I'm so excited for you and your soon-to-arrive little boy. I hope you find some photos here to love!